District



J. W. COLBY.

MBGHANIGAL TELEPHONE.

(.No Model.)

110.371.551. Patented 0pt. '18, 1887.

UNITED STATES.

PATENT OFFICE.

JOHN IVARREN COLBY, OF PENACOOK, FEIV HAMPSHIRE, ASSIGNOR OF ONE-FOURTHTO CHARLES A. CO'ITERILL, OF NVASHINGION, DISTRICT '/'W OF COLUMBIA.

MECHANICAL TELEPHONE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 371,551, dated October18,1887.

Application filed April ll, 1887. Serial N 234,458. (No model.)

To @ZZ whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, JOHN WARREN CoLBY, a citizen of the United States,residing at Penacook, in the county of Merrimac and State of NewHampshire, have invented certain new and useful Improvements inTelephones; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear,and exact description of the invention, such as will enable othersskilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use thesame.

lMy invention relates to telephones.

In the accompanying drawingsl have shown my improvements as applied to amechanical telephone-that is, one in which the sounds themselves arepropagated along a wire or similar conductor.

The object of my invention is to make certain improvements in thegeneral construction of this class of instruments,whereby thetransmission or reproduction of soundsA or articulate speech will bemore nearly perfect and the operation of the devices more reliable.

My invention consists in the details of construction, hereinafter fullydescribed, and

pointed out in the claims.

In the drawings referred to, in which like symbols of referencedesignate corresponding parts in the different gures, Figure l is a topview of the instrument or transmitter, a part of the lid being brokenaway to disclose the interior. Fig. 2 is a cross sectional view taken ona plane indicated by the line w x, Fig. 3. Fig. 3 is a sectional viewtaken on a plane indicated by the line y y, Fig. 2. Fig. etv is a detailview illustrating an improved knockeror signalingdevice, Fig. 5, amodification of the means for signaling, and Fig. 6 a sectional view ofthe soundwave rotator.

The letter A designates the box or ease for containing the diaphragm andcontiguous parts. `This box is constructed as usual, and is providedwith a hinged cover orlid, B, having an opening, B', for the passage 'ofsoundwaves into the box. In the bottom of the box I place a block, C,having a large semi-spherical socket, d, in its upper side. This blockis covered partially or entirely with a soft fabric or material, e-as`,for example, velvet. This soft fabric or soft material e is a poorconductor of sound, and therefore aids in conn- .ing the diaphragm.

ing the sound-waves within the space contain- On the upper end oftheblock, around the edge of the socket,is secured a diaphragm, g, ofV7skin or equivalent material, and on the top of this is placed a ring,t', of metal, provided with tubular standards or posts m.

Another diaphragm, or (as I shall term it) soundwave defiector,7composed of one or more disks of metal, with radial leaves inclined tothe plane of the disk, is arranged above the diaphragm g and immediatelybeneath the opening B. This sound-wave deflector is secured to an openframe or plate, h, provided with pins n, fitting and extending into thetubular posts m. Helical springs o are interposed between the open plateor ringi and frame h. These springs surround the posts m and pins a, andtend to separate the soundwave deflector and diaphragm g.

The sound-conducting wire w is connected with the diaphragm g by meansof a button,o, which is made of such size that it will not pass throughthe hole made for the passage of the wire w. The button o is preferablyconnected with the plate or frame h at its under side by a yieldingconnection-as, for example, by a series of links constituting a smallchain-so that it will be kept taut by the springs o.

A knocker or signaling device consisting of a fiat spring, s, having oneend bent, as indicated at s', is fixed at the opposite end on the blockC. This spring is arranged so that it maybe engaged by the teeth of awheel, t, on a rotatable shaft, t', to cause the spring to vibrate andknock against the button o in the diaphragm g, and thus transmitasignal. 'Ihe shaft t is provided with a crank, u, with which itmay beconveniently rotated.

In order to provide against injury to the apparatus by persons notfamiliar with its use, the bent portion s of the iiat spring s is madeso that the wheel t may be turned in the wrong direction without injury,as clearly shown in Fig. 4.

In Fig. 5 I have illustrated a modified form of knocker,which consistsof a weighted bent lever swinging on a rod extending across the box in adirection parallel to that of the shaft roo t. In order to prevent themovement longitudinally of this Weighted bent lever,a rectangular bendis made in the rod and the bent le- Ver is pivoted-therein, as shown inFig. 5.

The sound-Wave dellector D, which I have described in more generallanguage, consists, preferably, of two or more superposed disks of metalslit radially to form radial leaves, eachof which is bent on its axis,so that it lies in a plane at angles to the plane ofthe disk.Theseleaves cause the sound-Waves to be deflected into the box, andtheir general direction on entering will be inclined to the plane of thedisks. This construction tends to contine the soundwaves within the box.

An additional feature of my present improvement consists in providing`the conducting-wire with a tube containing a liquid, as illustrated inthe lower portion of Fig. 3. In this ligure the letter r represents thetube which surrounds the wire, Stoppers r', of any suitable material,being provided to close the ends. This forms a liquid casing about theconductor, which has the effect of preventing the ringing usual in suchwires and rendering the sound more smooth. Any number may be provided atsuitable points on the wire.

rIhe advantage gained by making the large socket or concavity in theupper side of the block Gis that the sound will be confined to a smallerspace.

I do notlimitmyselfto thcexaet construction of parts shown in thedrawings, as they are susceptible of modification and still be Withinthe scope of my invention; nor do I limit myselr to the employment ofall the features of my said invention in mechanical telephones alone, assome of them may be found useful in electrical telephones.

Vhat I claim as my invention, and desire to secure by Letters Patent,is-

l. In a telephone, the combination, with a transmitter, of the herein-described sound- Wave detlector, consisting of one or more diskshaving` a series of radial leaves inclined to the general plane. ot' thedisk, substantially as shown.

2. In a telephone, the combinatiomwith the box or case and a covertherefor having an opening, of the herein-described sound-Wavedellector, consisting of one or more disks having a series of radialleaves inclined to the general plane of the disk, substantially asshown, the said sound-wave deflector being arranged near the opening, asset forth.

3. In a telephone, the combinatioinwith the box or case, the diaphragmg, secured therein, and a line-wire connected with the said diaphragm g,of the sound-Wave deflector, substantially as herein described,yieldingly supported above the said diaphragm g, as set forth.

4. In a telephone, the combination,with the box or case, the diaphragmg, secured therein, and a line-Wire connected with the said diaphragm g,of the sound-wave defiector, substantially as herein described,yieldinglysupported above the said diaphragm f/,and means, substantiallyas shown, for connecting said sound-wave dellector with the line-Wire.

5. The con1bination,with a telephone transmitter and wire, of a tubesurrounding the Wire,adapted to contain a liquid, and means to preventthe escape of liquid from the tube, substantially as described.

6. The herein-described improved telephone, comprising a box or casehaving a suitable month-piece or opening` therein, the block C in thebottom thereof, having a seinispherical socket in its upper side, adiaphragm, g, stretched over said socket, a conductor, taconnected withsaid diaphragm by means ofa but ton, e, and a plate or frame carrying` asound- Wave detlector, substantially as described, yieldingly supportedabove the diaphragm, the said sound-Wave defiector or its carryingframebeing connected with the diaphragm, substantially as described.

In testimony whereof I have affixed my sig natu re in presence of twoWitnesses.

JOHN VARREN COLBY.

Witnesses:

ALBERT S'rnvnn's, GEORGE A. Monsn.

